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Gretchen Steele

Gretchen Steele: Here are Illinois hiking trails worth exploring in late summer

Featured, Home Page News, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

Late July is the sweet spot of summer in Illinois. The bugs (mostly) settle down, the early morning air still holds a touch of cool, and the woods are a riot of green growth, blooms, birdsong, and rustling leaves. It’s the perfect time to lace up your hiking boots or pump up those bike tires and get out on your local trails.
But don’t underestimate the magic just down the road.

Gretchen Steele: Here are Illinois hiking trails worth exploring in late summer Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Old-school outdoor skills still worth knowing

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Hunting, Illinois, National Fishing, National Hunting, Nature Page & Night Sky /

In a recent long phone conversation with my nephew, he regaled me with his upcoming summer plans for him and his son.
Canoeing for several days down the Missouri, from Fort Benton, on past their home near Great Falls, Ill. They were taking an extra-long trial run for hunting big horn sheep. He wanted to reinforce the old ways and the basic, old-school skills he had learned from his grandpa, dad, and me with his son.

Gretchen Steele: Old-school outdoor skills still worth knowing Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Remembering outdoor adventures that made us

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois /

I realize that Father’s Day will have come and gone by the time you read this, but it is Father’s Day when I sit down to pen my upcoming column on an early Sunday morning. My own father, a man of few words but immense wisdom, has been gone a very long time now, but I seem to be in a reflective mood.
It’s a familiar image, almost mythic: a father and child setting out into the great outdoors, a tackle box in one hand, a trail map in the other, and the quiet promise of discovery stretched ahead.

Gretchen Steele: Remembering outdoor adventures that made us Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Dangerous plants lurking on Illinois trails, roadsides, streambanks

Featured, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

If you spend any time hiking, hunting, fishing, or working outdoors in Illinois, you’ve likely passed within inches of some deceptively beautiful but hazardous plants.

These plants, with their umbrella-shaped white or yellow flowers, are more common than you might think. They might catch your eye along a shaded trail or the edge of a creek, but some of them can send you to the emergency room – or worse. I just wanted to scream the other day as I drove along several of our county roads.

Gretchen Steele: Dangerous plants lurking on Illinois trails, roadsides, streambanks Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Staying safe in southern Illinois’ great outdoors

Featured, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and with it, the unofficial launch of summer. If you’re like many folks in southern Illinois, the long weekend was a chance to soak up sunshine, fire up the grill, and head into the woods or onto the water.
From the rocky overlooks at Garden of the Gods to the shady paths of Ferne Clyffe and the still waters of Rend Lake, nature put on a show– and visitors showed up in droves.

Gretchen Steele: Staying safe in southern Illinois’ great outdoors Read More »

Gretchen Steele: A first cast often means forever hooked

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, National Fishing /

There’s something timeless and softly strong about taking a child fishing for the first time. It doesn’t require a fancy boat, expensive equipment, or even a guarantee of landing anything.
It requires time, patience, and a desire to slow down and give something real. A quiet morning with a rod and reel is a profound present in an era when so much of childhood is spent staring at screens, keeping schedules, and participating in structure.

Gretchen Steele: A first cast often means forever hooked Read More »

Illinois’ first off-highway vehicle park opens at Saline County site

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Off-highway vehicle enthusiasts and state and local officials celebrated the grand opening of new trails at Sahara Woods State Recreation Area in Saline County on May 2, marking the culmination of a 26-year endeavor to establish Illinois’ first OHV park on public land.
The Sahara Woods OHV trail system was built on reclaimed mine land, where Bankston Creek Collieries and the Sahara Coal Co. conducted both surface and underground mining operations from 1936 until 1993.

Illinois’ first off-highway vehicle park opens at Saline County site Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Conservation efforts, new logo announced for Du Quoin State Fairgrounds Nature Areas in Illinois

Featured, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

For 11 days a year, the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois bustles with carnival rides, livestock exhibitors, food vendors, and live music.
Yet the fair occupies only a fraction of the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, leaving hundreds of acres in their natural state. These natural areas, with their diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife, make the fairgrounds an ideal location for conservation efforts.

Gretchen Steele: Conservation efforts, new logo announced for Du Quoin State Fairgrounds Nature Areas in Illinois Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Redbud blossoms are spring’s tangy little treat

Featured, Home Page News, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

You know spring has finally arrived in Illinois when you see all the redbud trees burst into color all of a sudden – in addition to all those birds singing their hearts out and all those muddy puddles, that is.
It’s one thing to have bare tree branches and then another – bam! – bright pink flowers everywhere, even on the trunk!

Gretchen Steele: Redbud blossoms are spring’s tangy little treat Read More »

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